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Louis Calhern
Actor

Louis Calhern

18 Feb 1895Born
12 May 1956Died
61Age at death
72Credits

Biography

Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. For portraying Oliver Wendell Holmes in the film The Magnificent Yankee (1950), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Calhern began working in silent films for director Lois Weber in the early 1920s; the most notable being The Blot in 1921.

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A 1921 newspaper article commented, "The new arrival in stardom is Louis Calhern, who, until Miss Weber engaged him to enact the leading male role in What's Worth While?, had been playing leads in the Morosco Stock company of Los Angeles."

In 1923 Calhern left the movies, but would return to the screen eight years later after the advent of sound pictures. He was primarily cast as a character actor in films while he continued to play leading roles on the stage. He reached his peak in the 1950s as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player. Among his many memorable screen roles were Ambassador Trentino in the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup (1933) and three that he appeared in at MGM in 1950: a singing role as Buffalo Bill in the film version of the musical Annie Get Your Gun, the double-crossing lawyer and sugar-daddy to Marilyn Monroe in John Huston's film noir The Asphalt Jungle, and his Oscar-nominated performance as Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Magnificent Yankee (re-creating his role from the Broadway stage). He was also praised for his portrayal of the title role in the John Houseman production of Julius Caesar (adapted from the Shakespeare play) in 1953, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Calhern also played the role of the devious George Caswell, the manipulative board member of Tredway Corporation in the 1954 production of Executive Suite.

Calhern's other film roles included the grandfather in The Red Pony (1949), adapted from the novel by John Steinbeck and starring Robert Mitchum, and the spy boss of Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock suspense classic Notorious (1946). A performance as Uncle Willie in High Society (1956), a musical remake of The Philadelphia Story, turned out to be his final film.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Louis Calhern, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Filmography

  1. 2022Becoming MarilynFilm: (archive footage)
  2. 1976That's Entertainment, Part IIFilm: (archive footage)
  3. 1956High SocietyFilm: Uncle Willie
  4. 1956Forever, DarlingFilm: Charles Bewell
  5. 1955The ProdigalFilm: Nahreeb
  6. 1955Blackboard JungleFilm: Jim Murdock
  7. 1954AthenaFilm: Grandpa Mulvain
  8. 1954BetrayedFilm: Gen. Ten Eyck
  9. 1954The Student PrinceFilm: King of Karlsberg
  10. 1954Men of the Fighting LadyFilm: James A. Michener
  11. 1954Executive SuiteFilm: George Nyle Caswell
  12. 1954RhapsodyFilm: Nicholas Durant
  13. 1953Latin LoversFilm: Grandfather Eduardo Santos
  14. 1953Julius CaesarFilm: Julius Caesar
  15. 1953Remains to Be SeenFilm: Benjamin Goodman
  16. 1953Confidentially ConnieFilm: Opie Bedloe
  17. 1952The Bad and the BeautifulFilm: Georgia Lorrison's Father (voice) (uncredited)
  18. 1952The Prisoner of ZendaFilm: Col. Zapt
  19. 1952We're Not Married!Film: Freddie Melrose
  20. 1952Washington StoryFilm: Charles W. Birch
  21. 1952InvitationFilm: Simon Bowker
  22. 1951The Man with a CloakFilm: Charles Theverner
  23. 1951It's a Big CountryFilm: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
  24. 1950The Magnificent YankeeFilm: Oliver Wendell Holmes
  25. 1950Two Weeks with LoveFilm: Horatio Robinson
  26. 1950A Life of Her OwnFilm: Jim Leversoe
  27. 1950Devil's DoorwayFilm: Verne Coolan
  28. 1950Annie Get Your GunFilm: Col. Buffalo Bill Cody
  29. 1950The Asphalt JungleFilm: Alonzo D. Emmerich
  30. 1950Nancy Goes to RioFilm: Gregory Elliott
  31. 1949The Red DanubeFilm: Colonel Piniev
  32. 1949The Red PonyFilm: Grandfather
  33. 1948Arch of TriumphFilm: Boris Morosov
  34. 1946NotoriousFilm: Paul Prescott
  35. 1944Up in ArmsFilm: Colonel Ashley
  36. 1944The Bridge of San Luis ReyFilm: Don Andre - The Viceroy
  37. 1943Nobody's DarlingFilm: Curtis Farnsworth
  38. 1943Heaven Can WaitFilm: Randolph Van Cleve
  39. 1940Dr. Ehrlich's Magic BulletFilm: Dr. Brockdorf
  40. 1940I Take This WomanFilm: Dr. Martin Sumner Duveen
  41. 1939Charlie McCarthy, DetectiveFilm: Arthur Aldrich
  42. 1939Fifth Avenue GirlFilm: Dr. Kessler
  43. 1939JuarezFilm: LeMarc
  44. 1938Fast CompanyFilm: Elias Z. Bannerman
  45. 1937The Life of Emile ZolaFilm: Major Dort
  46. 1937Her Husband LiesFilm: Joe Sorrell
  47. 1936The Gorgeous HussyFilm: Leroy Sunderland
  48. 1935The Last Days of PompeiiFilm: Prefect Allus Martius
  49. 1935Woman WantedFilm: Smiley
  50. 1935The ArizonianFilm: Sheriff Jake Mannen
  51. 1934Sweet AdelineFilm: Major Jim Day
  52. 1934The Count of Monte CristoFilm: De Villefort Jr.
  53. 1934The Affairs of CelliniFilm: Ottaviano
  54. 1934The Man with Two FacesFilm: Stanley Vance
  55. 1933Duck SoupFilm: Ambassador Trentino
  56. 1933DiplomaniacsFilm: Winkelreid
  57. 1933The World Gone MadFilm: Christopher Bruno
  58. 1933Strictly PersonalFilm: Jack Magruder
  59. 1933The Woman AccusedFilm: Leo Young
  60. 1933Frisco JennyFilm: Steve Dutton
  61. 193220,000 Years in Sing SingFilm: Joe Finn
  62. 1932Afraid to TalkFilm: Asst. District Attorney John Wade
  63. 1932They Call It SinFilm: Ford Humphries
  64. 1932Night After NightFilm: Dick Bolton
  65. 1932Okay, America!Film: Mileaway Russell
  66. 1931Blonde CrazyFilm: 'Dapper Dan' Barker
  67. 1931The Road to SingaporeFilm: Dr. George March
  68. 1931Stolen HeavenFilm: Steve Perry
  69. 1923The Last MomentFilm: Harry Gaines
  70. 1921The BlotFilm: Phil West
  71. 1921Too Wise WivesFilm: David Graham
  72. 1921What's Worth While?Film: 'Squire' Elton

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.